A simple random thought or memory draws the corners of my mouth up a bit, and my son might ask, “What are you smiling at?” The twittering of a bird on a tree branch outside my front door draws my attention; I gaze silently smiling as I watch his uncontrollable song. My cat jumps from the table to my shoulders as I pass through the dining room and wraps herself around my neck, rubbing her face against my cheek with a purr – it always makes me smile.

On the other hand there are bills and demands that I find it hard to smile about. There are problems and pressures that make me cry. How not to let those things create my day is what I go to bed praying about, and wake up thinking about. Every morning my husband says “good morning” with a smile and I wonder how he does it; but I remember he was raised with such manners.

Many things make me smile: a plant, a flower or tree, an animal, a beautiful painting or photograph, a friend or family members face, the sunshine and the blue sky, the ocean, the clouds and a soft breeze, lovely memories, and the writings of other bloggers. These are the things that fill my life with joy. I seek them, I find them, and I smile. A smile begins in the heart and spreads to the face sending pleasant feelings of peace through my body. A smile is a powerful thing.

So I think I will try to smile more each day, not in a shallow way, but by finding the smile in my heart. If the world were to end tomorrow I would like to go smiling, by thinking about how beautiful it was. If I wake up to a new morning I would like to wake up like a child that feels loved, wondering what new excitement the day holds. What better way to live than to create each day with a smile?

For another meaningful post on smiling check this out: The Monster In Your Closet